The object was not anything manmade, like a falling satellite, said Michael Kucharek, a spokesman for NORAD.

Chip Guy, a spokesman for Sussex County, Del., said he and his family saw it for no more than "eight or nine seconds" while driving in eastern Maryland.

Numerous reports about the light were posted on social media. A person identified only as Curious Sergey posted a Twitter message that he had seen "a real meteor" over Brooklyn, adding he first thought it was "some kind of firework."

The American Meteor Society said it received more than 300 reports from Florida to Maine, with 50 from Canada, The Washington Post reported.

The object was first reported shortly after 7:50 p.m. traveling west to east in the northeast sky.

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